Articles

As a rookie officer assigned to the sheriff’s Ojai substation a decade ago, Sara Valenzuela took control of a potentially life-threatening situation when a suspect got the better of her field training officer during a physical alteration. The suspect was jailed on felony charges, and Valenzuela immediately earned the respect of her fellow officers. That respect has carried over into a generation of deputies unaware of that incident.

Last week, Valenzuela, 35, was named Ojai’s Deputy of the Year by her coworkers, and will be formally honored May 29 by the Kiwanis Club at The Four